Interlocking machine for railway purposes.



PATBNTED DEG. 18, 1966.

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No. 838,820. v PATENTED DEG. 18, 1906.

J. B. STRUBLB.

' INTERLOGKING MACH-INE POR BILWAY PUPSES.

APPLIOATIOH num oula. 190e.

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J. B. STRUBLB. LOCKING MACHINE POR RAILWAY PURPOSES.

PATBNTBD DEC.v 18,` 1906.

INIB

APPLICATION FI-LED OCT. 8, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fighi NITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB B. STRUBLIIOF WILKINSBU 1G, PEXXSYLTAXIA, ASSIHNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COM PAX Y, OF SlVlSSVALE, PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF IEXXSYLVAIJA. Y

No. l:338,820.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Fon RAILWAY PURPOSES.

Patented Dec. 18, v190e.

application nea october 6,1906. seria 110.337.676.

My invention relates to interlocking machines for railway purposes. These ma- ',cliiiies, as is well known in the art, comprise a plurality of levers 'arranged side by side and mechanical interlocking. When a lever or levers are moved to opera-te or control the operation of railway parts or appliancesfor example, switches and signals-to set up a routekfor a car or train, the mechanical interlocking is operated to lock other levers which operate or control the operation of other railway parts which would set up a route for i car or train which would contiict with the ioute. first set up. These levers have what is known as a preliminary and a nal movement, and it is only the final movement of ak lever which opera-tes the mechanical locking to release certain other levers. In seine forms of interlocking machines the latches on the levers opera-te the mechanical interlocking.

My present invention relates to what I shall term herein a time releasing means, which acts to prevent the operation of the mechanical interlocking until' after an interval of time has elapsed.

I will describe a time releasing meanspembodying my invention and its application to a lever of an interlocking machine and then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view,partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a lever of an interlocking machine, a form of mechanical interlocking, and a time releasing means applied thereto and embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the parts in dill'erent positions due to a movement of the lever. Fig. 3 and l are each detail sectional views taken on the lilies 3 3 and 4 4 respectively. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Lg. 1, showing a modified form of my invention and Fig. 6 .is a sectional view of the time releasing devices, taken at a iight angle to the view of the same parts in Fig. 5.

responding parts in all of the figures.

ing is of a form which is operated positively in one direction by the movement of the lever and automatically through a spring or equivalent device in a .reverse direct-ion.'v

cated by A and is operated by a. sliding bar a, having a. roller a at its' outer end adapted to lie in a recess b in a vertically-movable rack-bar B. These parts are in their normal position in Fig. 1. When the bar B is moved upwardly by the operation of lever D, the sliding har a will be moved to the left against locking other levers against being operated,

the position shown in .F ig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1, when the spring c will move bar a to the right, and thereby release the other levers.

Any suitable means may be employed to move the bar B upwardly. Thus in Figs. 1 and '2 there is an angle-lever 10, pivoted to a fixed bracket 11 and having its short arm connected to the lever D by a link 12, while its long arm has a slot-and-pin connection with a rod 13, adapted to move vertically in suitable fixed guides. In normal position the lower end oi bar B rests loosely on the upper end of the rod 13, as seen in Fig. 1.

it. as shown in Fig. 2, and when the lever D is moved in the opposite direction the rod 13 will move away from the bar B and permit the latter to fall by gravity to its normal position. In Figs. 5 and 6 the angle-lever 10 andlink 12 are dispensed with, and the lever D is connected directly with the rod 13xby a slot-and-pin connection. The particular means employed to lift .the bar B do not`,`\v however, form any part of my invention, and any other means may be employed for that purpose.

M v invention relatesto the means for retarding or regulating the 'speed of the down-v ward movement of the bar Bfaiid it is based on the principle that if a closed conductor is moved in a magnetic field induced currents in the closed conductor set up a field opposing the primary tield, and thus retard the When the lever D is moved to the left, the .y rod 13 will oe lifted and carry the bar B with Similar reference characters designate cor- In the drawings the mechanical interlocki 6o The mechanical interlocking device is, indithe force of a spring c, and this will result in 1 i@ and such other levers will not bereleased unt-il the rack-bar B hasinoved down from w movement of the closed conductor. n-t e preferred form illustrated the closed conductor is a disk E, mounted on a shaft 23, supported by a bracket e. ably of nonmagnetic material, such as brass or aluminium, and it is supported to rotate between the poles of a magnet F, preferablyy a permanent magnet. This magnet is adjustably supported on the bracket c in such manner that its poles may be moved toward or away from the center of the disk. Any suitable means may be employed to effect this adjustment, and, as shown in Figs. 1, 2,

and 3, the magnet is provided with a threaded stem 2G, which extends through an arm 21 on the bracket, and nuts '22 on said stem are adapted to engage opposite sides of the arm.

On the shaft 23, which carries the disk E, a pinion 24 is mounted and meshes with the teeth on the bar B. Either the pinion 2-1-or the disk E may be loose on the shaft if the latterv is rotatable, and both will be loose thereon if it is iixed against rotation. A. spring-pressed pawl 25 is pivoted to the disk E and engages the teeth of the pinion in such manner that the pinion may be rotated in one direction without moving the disk; but when rot ated in the other direction the pawl will carry the disk 'with the pinion. As shown, the pinion rotates without the disk when the bar B ismoved upwardly.

In addition to controlling' themechanical interlocking the bar B may also` be employed to open and close an electric lock-circuit. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wires of the lock-circuit terminate in two contacts 26 27, one of which is movable and projects into the ath of an arm 2S on the har B. I'Vhen the hat B is in normal position, the movable contact 26 will be held in engagement with the fixed contact 27, and the loek-circuit will be closed; but when the bar B is moved upwardly the contact 26 will move out of engagement with Contact 2T and open the lock circuit. In the particu-lar form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the Contact 26 moves away from contact 27 by spring action; but any other force may be utilized to move it.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the disk E and pinion 24 are mounted on dili'erent shafts. In this form the shaft which carries the pinion 24 also carries a toothed disk 30, one or the other being loose on the shaft, and a springpressed pawl 25a is pivoted on the disk 30 and engages the teeth of a disk 24a, rotatable with the pinion 24, so as to permit the pinion to be rotated when the bar B is moved upwardly without rotating the disk 30, but E causing both to rotate on the downward movement of the bar B- In this form the disk will be fixed on its shaft, and a pinion 31 will also be fixed on the said shaft and mesh with the toothed disk 30. In this form of the invention two permanent magnets F F are employed and straddie the disk E at op- This disk is prefer-y Y posite points. The magnets are hung on a shaft 32, provided with right Y,and left hand threads, said shaft being supported to turn in bearings on a bracket e', anrby rotating this -\shaft the magnets F F will,y e moved simultaneously toward or away from the center of \the disk i -,f`, In Figs 5 and 6 the terminals 26a and 27a of the electric lock-circuit are support-ed in a casing G, whichincloses the bar B andthe speed-regulating devices, and the bar B carries a bridge 33, which engages the terminals 26a and 27 when the bar B in its lowest or normal position.

The operation is as follows: When the lever D is operated to set a signal-for exammoved upwardly, and thereby operate the mechanical interlocking and at the same time open the circuitI of the electric lock, which may control` some other railway part, as a switch. when the lever D is returned to its normal position to put the signal to dangcr, the bar B will be left in its elevated position and will return by gravity to its norrotate between the poles of the magnet,

netic field opposing the primary magnetic field to be set up, and the movement of the disk will thus be retarded. This retarding movement may be varied by adjusting the tardation being increased as the poles of the magnet approach the periphery of the disk. The speed of the downward movement of the bar B can thus be regulated as desired, and thereby secure the necessary time interval after a lever has been returned to normal position before another lever can be operated or the part controlled by the electric lock be moved. 'ithout limiting myself to the precise details of construction illustrated and described, I claim- 1. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a barvmovable in one direction to rection to effect its release, and magnetic means permitting of a slow movement of the bar in said opposite direction- 2. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking, and in the opposite direction to edect its release, a closed conductor movable with 'said bar in said last-na med movement, and a magnetbetween the poles of which said conductor is caused to move by said bar.

3. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking, and in the opposite direction to effect its release, a. rotary disk,

l mal position, thereby causing the disk E to means for transmitting movement from the ple, to clear position-the bar .B will be which, as before described, will cause a magmagnets to bring their poles nearer to or far-r ther away from the center of the disk, the reeiiect the interlocking and in the opposite dii bar in its last-named movement to said disk,

' pinion to rotate therewith when the bar and a magnet between the poles of which makesits releasing nievement, and amagnet said disk is caused to rot-ate by the movement of the bai'.

4. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a. bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking and in the opposite direction to effect its release, a rotary disk of non-inagnetic material, means for transmit- 1 between the poles of which said disk is caused to rotate.

7. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking, and movable by gravity in the opposite direction to effect its release, means for positively moving the lever in the irst-nained direction, a rotary disk, a

magnet between thepoles of which said disk is supported to rotate, and means for trans- 5. In interlocking mechanism for railway l purposes, a bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking.,r and in the opposite direction to effect its release, a rotary disk, means for transmitting movement from said bar in its last-named movement to said disk,

av magnet between the poles of which said disk is caused to rotate by the movement of t-lie bar, and means for adjusting the poles of A mittiiig movement from the bar on its releasing movement tothe disk.

S. In interlocking mechanism for railway purposes, a. bar movable in one direction to effect the interlocking and in the opposite direction to effect its release, an electric lockcircuit., means cariied by said bar to close the said circuit when the bar has completed its l releasing movement, and inductive means for j permitting a slow releasing movement of said bar.

naine to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribed witnesses.

Jiicon B. sTRUBLE.

.Vitnesses:

J Aims CHALMERS, Jr., W. L. MCDANIEL.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 

